Process for manufacturing card-shaped data carriers

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for producing card-shaped data carriers. The method has at least one production step requiring a data carrier of a defined type or quality or in a defined position and/or changing the data carrier in irreversible fashion or in a fashion which can be reversed only by additional expense. The data carrier is optically tested before or after said production step, and the further processing of the data carrier controlled depending on the result of said test.

This invention relates to a method for producing card-shaped datacarriers and an apparatus for carrying out the method.

Card-shaped data carriers can be formed for example as magnetic stripecards or chip cards which can be used as check cards, credit cards orelectronic purses for carrying out financial transactions, can serve asidentity cards for admittance or access control, etc. Such cards arenormally made of plastic and/or paper or cardboard. Plastic cards areproduced by laminating several layers or by injection molding or othersuitable methods, depending on the desired properties and permissibleproduction costs. For the following description a laminated chip cardwill be used by way of example, whereby the described methods can alsobe used for differently produced cards and also for different types ofcard.

Laminated chip cards consist of a plurality of layers: e.g. topprotective layer, printed top cover layer, one or more intermediatelayers, printed bottom cover layer, bottom protective layer. Forproducing such cards one produces the individual layers as foils with acertain sheet size. Then one prints the sheets for the top and bottomcover layers. Subsequently one superposes the different sheets and weldsthem together to a single sheet under pressure and heat. One punches theindividual raw card bodies out of this sheet. Endless card production byroll lamination is likewise possible. The individual layers are therebysupplied in the form of long webs to a roll laminating machine,connected to a single web there and then divided into single cards.

Hitherto each single card has been subjected manually to a qualityinspection after the abovementioned production steps; i.e. each card iscompared manually with a reference card. If the card to be tested iswithin a given tolerance for given criteria, such as contrast of colors,no burr on the card edges, no scratches, no lint, etc., it is passed onfor processing. If the card does not stand the test, which is subjectivesince performed by a human being, it ends as a reject. The acceptedcards are then placed in the magazine of a singler which supplies thecards to a milling machine via a card transport device. With a pocketmilling cycle one produces cavities for chip modules to be provided onthe cards. Subsequently the chip modules are inserted into the cardcavities and fixed in the cavities with an adhesive. This process iscalled implantation.

This method for producing the cavities has hitherto only been used inchip cards made of sheet material since with integral plastic cards(e.g. made of ABS) produced by injection molding it is easier andcheaper to produce the cavity during injection.

Problems arise from the fact that the abovementioned inspection, beingmanual, is subjective, time-consuming and involves error, since peopleare not always as focused as they should be, and thus too many rejectedcards pass to final inspection. Further rejected cards arise from thefact that cards arriving at the milling machine in a wrong position aremilled wrong. A further problem is that the pocket milling machine mustbe readjusted for some types of card with respect to the size and shapeof the chip module.

The described problems can occur not only during production of thecavities but similarly in each production step in which changes are madeon the cards or in production steps in which cards of a certain type areexpected or in which the cards must have a defined state or assume adefined spatial position, and a deviation from the expectedtype/state/position cannot be excluded.

The problem of the invention is therefore to obtain a maximum qualitystandard and minimize rejects rates at reduced personnel expense in theproduction of card-shaped data carriers.

This problem is solved by the characterizing features of the inventiondescribed in patent claim 1.

According to the invention, optical testing is performed before eachproduction step in which changes are made on the cards or which iscritical with respect to the spatial position or type or state of thecard.

Said testing can be used especially advantageously for production stepsin which the type or state or spatial position of the cards isimportant. One can thus firstly ensure that the production step is notperformed erroneously on cards not intended for this production step.Both can lead to rejected cards and one would lose both the costs forthe preceding production steps including the step in question and thematerial costs incurred.

Secondly, one prevents the production step from being performed on cardswhich do not fulfill the minimum quality requirements defined for thisproduction step. This avoids e.g. Further production costs beingincurred for a rejected card.

The stated variations of the invention can be applied both for singlecards and for sheets or webs each having a plurality of cards. Thespecific manner of testing in each case will be described in thefollowing with reference to some selected embodiments.

The invention will be illustrated by a pocket milling machine used forproviding card bodies with cavities for receiving chip modules. Thepocket milling machine is extended by an optical detecting unit, whichis disposed procedurally before the pocket milling machine according tothe invention and connected with a control unit which decides whether tosupply the particular card to the milling machine for milling the cavityor whether to supply the milled card to further processing. There areseveral embodiments of the machine described by the invention. In thefollowing, embodiments will be described in which the optical detectingunit is disposed before the pocket milling machine.

In a first embodiment the abovementioned testing is still performedmanually, but not on the individual card but on the sheet, i.e. beforepunching. This is much faster than checking single cards. A furtheradvantage of checking sheets is that one detects recurrent systemerrors, e.g. errors produced by a faulty printing roller or scratchedlaminating plates. The testers check the front and back of the sheet andmark the rejected cards. They mark the cards e.g. with a fluorescent inkor a felt pen or perforate them. The applied markings need notnecessarily be in the visible spectral region; one can also use forexample a color detectable in the infrared region or an UV-activablesubstance. Subsequently the cards are punched and stacked. They are thenplaced in a singler from which the cards are supplied singly to thepocket milling machine via a card transport device, e.g. a conveyerbelt, a robot arm with a gripping system or a rotary table. Mountedbefore or on the pocket milling machine according to the invention is anoptical detecting unit which recognizes whether a card is marked. If afluorescent or UV-active marking is used the card is exposed to UVlight. If no marking is present no fluorescent light is reflected. Ifthe card has a fluorescent marking fluorescent light is reflected. Thisis registered by a detector. One proceeds similarly with markingsdetectable in the infrared region. If felt pen is used the opticaldetecting unit is a camera. One can reconstruct the original cardposition within a sheet, as is necessary for detecting system errors,with reference to the order of the single cards. It is likewise possibleto provide the cards with a marking indicating their original positionwithin the sheet. This marking can be for example printed, or moldedduring laminating by suitable design of the laminating plates. Themarking is thereby either designed or disposed, e.g. in the area of thecavity, so as not to disturb the appearance of the card.

A control unit (in the simplest case a relay) connected with the opticaldetecting unit and with the card transport device and the millingmachine decides after the optical testing on the further process ofmanufacture of the card:

no marking: the normal program is run through, i.e. cards stacked inmagazines are inserted into singler, transport to pocket millingmachine, milling cavities, further transport to stacking apparatus,stacking,

a marking: the normal program is interrupted or altered, i.e. markedcards are supplied to a stacking apparatus for rejected cards before orafter the milling machine (in the latter case the milling machineremains turned off).

In this first embodiment, cards arriving in a wrong position (laterallyinverted or front and back switched) are not recognized and thus becomerejected cards since they are milled at the wrong place. Therefore, norobot arm is used in this first embodiment since it would be tooexpensive for this embodiment and its spectrum of abilities would not beexploited at all.

Supply to the stacking apparatus is done with a switch in the versionwith card transport effected by a conveyer belt. In the version withcard transport effected by a rotary table it is done e.g. by the rotarytable stopping above the rejected card stacking magazine and thecorresponding card (which is in a card receiving pocket whose bottom isformed by a further table having a gap at a certain place) falling intothe stacking magazine by rotation of the bottom table relative to therotary table until the gap arrives under the receiving pocket.

In another version the bottom table, which again has a gap, standsstill. A card only falls through into the rejects shaft when the rotarytable stops at the same position where the bottom table has its gap.

Further possibilities with the use of a rotary table are to blow thecards away from below and supply them to the magazine via a ramp or tosuck them pneumatically by a suitable apparatus and then supply them tothe rejects magazine. There are surely even more possible embodimentshere.

In a second embodiment, manual inspection is fully eliminated. Theoptical detecting unit no longer consists of a simple detector but of adigital camera connected with a computer. As in the first embodiment ofthe control unit, the computer must drive the card transport device, themilling machine and the switch. Card production itself remains the same:producing sheets by laminating individual layers, punching outindividual cards, manually filling cards into the singler magazine,transport with a card transport device to the pocket milling machine,milling out the cavity for the chip module, transport to a stackingapparatus, manually transport to the implanter, implanting the chipmodule. The camera, which is installed before the milling machine, interms of the direction of production, takes a picture of a card. This isdone either while a pocket is being milled into the previously conveyedcard, i.e. in a standstill phase, or during conveyance, which does notlead to blurred pictures with the speed of exposure of present-daycameras. The computer connected with the camera has stored a referencepicture of a sample card. The computer now decides independently on thefurther process of manufacture of the card. If the card has no scratch,and sharpness, contrast and colors of the layout are within a giventolerance, the card is passed on to milling. If this is not the case, orthe card arrives at the camera in the wrong position, e.g. on the backor laterally inverted, the card is directed past the milling process(e.g. via a switch located before or after the milling machine when aconveyer belt is used) and supplied to a stacking apparatus for rejectedcards, or it is reversed by an adequate apparatus and supplied to themilling machine in the right position. If the switch follows, themilling machine—driven by. the computer—lets the card pass. Hitherto,rejected cards had to be separated from accepted cards manually aftermilling. Cards which arrived at the milling machine in the wrongposition became rejects through the milling. It is also possible,however, to supply rejected cards and the cards arriving in the wrongposition to separate stacking apparatuses by a swiveling,computer-driven switch. This can also be done by connecting two switchesin series. Or one uses a switch which can swivel to three outputs(milling machine, rejected card stacking apparatus, cards arriving inthe wrong position to be reinserted). Said cards to be reinserted canalso be supplied immediately to the milling machine by a suitablecard-reversing apparatus. The accepted cards are either stacked andmanually brought to the implanter or conveyed to the implanter directlywithout stacking. There are again different possibilities using a rotarytable as a card transport device:

the rotary table stops above the corresponding shaft (rejected cards,cards to be reinserted or reversed) and suitable relative rotation ofthe bottom table leads to stacking (see above),

the cards to be reversed fall onto a reversing apparatus and areresupplied to the rotary table in the right position, or the reversingapparatus is located directly in the rotary table.

The use of a robot arm as a card conveying device is the most expensivebut most easily realized solution. The robot arm fetches a card from theprovided magazine, places it under the camera, a picture is taken andcompared with a reference picture in the computer, the card is reversed,a picture of the back taken and again compared with the correspondingreference picture. Then, the computer causes the arm to take the furthersteps: conveying on to the milling machine or the stacking device forrejected cards, or turning the card into the right position andconveying it on to the milling machine.

This possibility—photographing the cards from both sides—is the mostadvantageous embodiment of the invention, since the error rate is lowestand the throughput times are shortest. It can be realized not only withthe use of a robot arm but also with the use of a rotary table or bandas a card transport device.

Double-sided photography of the card can be effected in three ways:

using two tandem-mounted cameras and two reversing apparatuses(photo-graphing one side of card, transport, reversal, transport,photographing second side of card, transport, possibly repeated reversalwith respect to front and back and to lateral transposition, transportto milling machine);

using a camera and a reversing apparatus;

using one camera disposed above and one disposed below the passing cardsand a reversing apparatus (which is not used for photography but forturning cards into the right position).

The computer controls the complete procedure: removal of individual cardfrom singler, transport to camera, photography of one side, comparisonwith reference pictures (front, back), reversal of card, comparison withreference pictures, decision (rejected card, right position), turningcard into right position and transport on to milling machine ortransport directly to rejects magazine (this being the second version).

Since there are different types of card differing in size, shape anddepth profile, it is an advantageous development of the invention if theoptical detecting unit recognizes the type of card and requests thecorresponding milling program or rejects the card if its type does notcorrespond to the expected type.

For position detection it is not absolutely necessary to evaluate thetotal card surface. One can also confine oneself to a section of thecard surface. In order to determine the position of the card one definesa section of the printed image of the card surface as a reference. Thisreference is so defined that the position of the card is clearlyderivable therefrom. Thus, a new reference is to be defined for each newlayout of the printed image. As an alternative to this procedure one candefine a suitable symbol and print it on the card in the area of thelater cavity. This symbol could always be the same regardless of thelayout of the card surface so that no adaptation is necessary upon achange of layout.

Optical evaluation of the printed image or sections of the printed imagecan be used not only for position detection but also when a productionprocess handles different types of card and/or different types of moduleand it is to be ensured that the right type of card and right type ofmodule are brought together. If several types of module are available,they can be distinguished for example by the contact layout or by amanufacturer's identification applied to the module.

The described optical test procedures are not only suitable inconnection with production steps performed on single cards. They canalso be used in production steps performed on sheets or webs. If theoptical testing of a sheet shows that a plurality of cards do not meetthe quality requirements, one can consider eliminating the total sheetinstead of marking the particular cards and then eliminating said cards.One will normally choose this variant when so many cards are affectedthat it is more cost-effective to eliminate the total sheet.

In order to test the quality of milling one can dispose an opticaltesting station after the milling machine, in terms of the direction ofcard transport. This testing station can test the cavity produced by themilling machine with respect to position, depth and shape. If the testshows insufficient quality of milling, the card can be eliminated as areject. Moreover, the test result can be used for readjusting themilling machine or causing a readjustment. One can also derive from thetest result whether the edge of the milled cavity has a burr, whetherthe cavity is soiled for example by chips and whether the millingmachine is defective and one can expect the same error to be producedcontinuously if there is no intervention.

Optical testing stations can be used not only in the production oflaminated cards but for example also in production by injection molding.The testing station is disposed after the injection molding machine andtests the cards outputted by the injection molding machine. This isrecommendable in particular if the cards outputted by the injectionmolding machine already have a printed image and/or a module.

The invention will be described below with reference to the embodimentsshown in the drawings. The invention will be explained first by way ofexample with reference to the different embodiments of a pocket millingmachine and then the inventive principle will be stated in a generalform.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional pocket milling machine,

FIGS. 2, 3, 4 a and 4 b show different embodiments of the inventivepocket milling machine,

FIGS. 5a and 5 b each show a schematic representation of a productionplant for card shaped data carriers to illustrate the principleunderlying the invention, and

FIG. 6 shows a card marked for position testing.

FIG. 1 shows a conventional pocket milling machine consisting of rotarytable 3, chip card receiving pockets 1 worked into the rotary table,singler 2 with magazine 4 mounted thereon, pocket milling machine 5,card stacking magazine 6.

Procedure: Filling cards into magazine 4, singling cards, carrying cardsin receiving pockets 1 of rotary table 3, transport to pocket millingmachine 5, milling cavities for chip modules, transport to card stackingmagazine 6, stacking cards in card stacking magazine 6.

FIG. 2 shows a first embodiment of the inventive pocket milling machineconsisting of control unit 10, receiving pockets 1 for chip cards,singler 2, cameras 11 and 12, one mounted above and one below the rotarytable, rejected card stacking magazine 7, card reverser 6, pocketmilling machine 5, accepted card stacking magazine 8, drive unit 9 forrotary table 3, rotary table 3.

Upper camera 11 is mounted directly opposite lower camera 12 and thebottoms of the receiving pockets for chip cards 1 are transparent.

Procedure: filling cards into magazine of singler 2, singling,transport, taking pictures of front and back of chip cards, transport,stacking rejected cards in rejected card stacking magazine 7, transport,reversal or rotation of cards arriving in the wrong position, transport,milling cavities for chip modules, transport, stacking accepted cards inaccepted card stacking magazine 8.

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of the inventive pocket milling machineconsisting of control unit 10, singler 2, first camera 11, first cardreverser 6, second camera 12, rejected card stacking magazine 7, secondcard reverser 13, pocket milling machine 5, accepted card stackingmagazine 8, rotary table 3, drive unit 9 for rotary table 3.

Procedure: Filling cards into magazine of singler 2, singling,transport, taking picture of one side of chip cards, reversing cards,taking picture of other side of chip cards, transport, stacking rejectedcards in rejected card stacking magazine 7, transport, reversing orrotating cards arriving in the wrong position, transport, millingcavities for chip modules, transport, stacking accepted cards inaccepted card stacking magazine 8.

FIG. 4a shows a third embodiment of the inventive pocket milling machineconsisting of motors 14 for synchronous belt drives of card reverser 6and depositing device 15, accepted card stacking magazine 8, carddepositing device 15, pocket milling machine 5, milling table 16 withtransport device, rejected card stacking magazine 7, card reverser 6,transport band 17, cameras 11 and 12, transport device 18 permittingviewing of the total card surface from above and below, transport band17, singler 2 with magazine, control unit 10, chip cards 19.

FIG. 4b shows a plan view of a detail of FIG. 4a showing card depositingdevice 15, card reverser 6 and transport device 18 permitting viewing ofcards 19 from above and below.

Procedure: Filling cards 19 into magazine of singler 2, singling,transport, taking pictures of both sides of cards 19, reversing cards 19arriving in the wrong position, transport, stacking rejected cards usingcard depositing device 15 in rejected card stacking magazine 7,transport, milling cavities for chip modules, transport, stackingaccepted cards using card depositing device 15 in accepted card stackingmagazine 8.

FIGS. 5a and 5 b show schematic representations of a production plantfor card-shaped data carriers to illustrate the principle underlying theinvention.

FIG. 5a shows the first variant of the invention in which opticaltesting of card 19 is effected before the production step. Theproduction step in question is done in processing station 20. Dashedblocks 21 and 22 are intended to illustrate that card 19 can run throughfurther processing stations before and after processing station 20. Thetransport direction of card 19 is shown by arrow 23. Disposed beforeprocessing station 20, in terms of said transport direction, is opticaltesting station 11, for example in the form of a camera. Optical testingstation 11 performs an optical test on card 19, testing for example theposition of card 19, the type of card or its quality. Depending on theresult of the test, card 19 is either supplied to processing station 20(arrow 23) or eliminated (arrow 24). If eliminated card 19 is stillusable it can be resupplied to the production process at a differentplace. If optical testing relates to the position of card 19, testingstation 11 is to be disposed such that an undesirable change of positionof card 19 can be excluded between testing station 11 and productionstation 20. Testing of the position of card 19 is always only necessaryif an undesirable change of position is possible since the last placewhere the position of card 19 was definitely known. A possible procedurefor determining the position of the card by measurement technology willbe explained with reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 5b shows a production plant in which the optical testing of card 19is effected after the production step. FIG. 5b largely matches FIG. 5a,differing only in that optical testing station 11 is disposed afterprocessing station 20, in terms of the transport direction of card 19,thus permitting performance monitoring of the production step or stepsconducted in processing station 20.

In a production plant for cards, all processing stations can inprinciple be equipped with an optical testing station before and/orafter the processing station. It is especially commendable to use forall processing stations an optical testing station which makes a changeon the card which is irreversible or only reversible at additionalexpense.

By disposing the testing station before the processing station oneprevents rejects being produced, e.g. during milling of the cavity,because of a wrong position of the card or a wrong type of card. One canlikewise prevent a rejected card being processed farther and the damageincreased, e.g. by the mounting of further components such as a chipmodule.

By disposing the testing station after the processing station one cansubject the processing station to permanent quality inspection, orinspection can be done in case of need by temporarily activating thetesting station.

FIG. 6 shows card 19 provided with marking 25 by means of which theproper positioning of card 19 can be tested. Marking 25 has the form ofa hairline cross and is disposed in area 26 of the cavity so as not toimpair the optical appearance of card 19. Marking 25 can be providedboth on a card in which the cavity is not yet milled or is produced inanother way, and on a card already having a cavity. In the latter casemarking 25 is applied to the bottom of the cavity. By the opticaltesting station ascertaining whether marking 25 is present (one-sidedtesting station) or on which side of the card the marking is disposed(two-sided testing station) one can determine whether the card isproperly positioned with respect to front and back. Since marking 25 isapplied outside the bisecting lines of card 19 one can additionallyascertain whether card 19 is turned round. Depending on the test resultcard 19 can be eliminated or a reversing device can be provided forbringing card 19 into the desired position.

Besides the abovementioned applications, the optical testing station canalso be designed to be able to test the position and/or structure ofembossings or characteristic printed image elements on the card.Further, it is possible to test the card material, for example with theaid of an infrared or UV detector, for certain properties, in particularmaterial properties which are used for later authenticity testing. Incards in which a module and/or antenna or other components areintegrated into the card body, it is possible to test the position ofthe components in transmitted light or with the aid of infrared lightand also ascertain for example an overlap with the area of the cavity orother relevant card elements, such as an embossed area, lasered area,etc.

Optical testing of the sheet or of webs from which the cards are laterproduced can be effected both on one side and on both sides. Dependingon the kind of test, one requires whole-area inspection or only partialinspection, for example of a selected strip or web. In addition, theoptical testing station can also be provided for detectingidentifications applied to the sheet or webs and passing them on to theprocess control for farther evaluation, or applying identifications(e.g. detected quality assurance data) to the sheets with a printer (inkjet, etc.) for later processing of the data. Moreover, the surfacequality of the sheets or webs can be tested by suitable measurements ofangle of reflection or glancing angle. One can likewise determine thesheet or web thickness, and perform different tests with respect toflatness, waviness, deformation and edge quality.

The optical testing station can also be designed to be able to testspecial prints, such as fluorescent prints, prints with opticallyvariable inks, iriodine prints, etc. Furthermore, it is possible to testnot only the position of applied chip modules but also the positioningof any desired components, such as magnetic stripes, signature stripesand hologram or diffraction structure elements or lens screenstructures.

Altogether one can say that all optical tests necessary for producingcard-shaped data carriers can be performed on the basis of the aboveinvention. According to the invention these tests are assigned to thecorresponding production steps depending on their necessity, therebyobtaining fully automatic control of production so that rejects ratescan be reduced to a minimum while machines can simultaneously beoptimally utilized.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of inspecting card-shaped data carriers,at least one predetermined inspection criteria being required of saiddata carriers, said data carriers being capable of modification to meetsaid at least one predetermined inspection criteria, said methodcomprising the steps of: delivering at least one of said data carriersto an optical testing station; performing a test on said data carrier atsaid optical testing station, said test determining whether said datacarrier meets said at least one predetermined inspection criteria; anddetermining whether to remove said data carrier from further processingor forward said data carrier for continued processing on the basis ofthe test performed on said data carrier, wherein a printed image appliedon said data carrier prior to delivery to said optical testing stationis used as a reference to determine a position of said data carrier atsaid optical testing station.
 2. The method according to claim 1 whereinsaid optical testing station tests each data carrier singly.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein a plurality of data carriers aredisposed in a web, said web being delivered to said optical testingstation for examination.
 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein saidtest includes examination of the data carrier position, said datacarrier passing through said optical testing station and being forwardedfor further processing upon detection of a predetermined position ofsaid data carrier relative to said printed image.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein the data carrier is supplied to a reversingdevice and positioned therewith into a predetermined position relativeto said printed image when said optical testing station detects saiddata carrier as failing to be positioned in said predetermined position.6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said optical testing stationremoves said data carrier from further processing upon a determinationof said data carrier as failing to be positioned in a predeterminedposition.
 7. The method according to claim 1 wherein said data carrierposition is tested in reference to a marking applied thereon.
 8. Themethod according to claim 1 wherein the optical testing stationrecognizes a predetermined type of data carrier, said optical testingstation commanding a corresponding milling program to be performed onsaid data carrier upon a determination that said data carrier is of saidrecognized type of data carrier, said optical testing station removingsaid data carrier from further processing upon a determination that saiddata carrier fails to be recognized as said recognized type of datacarrier.
 9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the stepof determining whether the result of said test satisfies predeterminedminimum quality requirements from production steps prior to inspectingsaid data carriers.
 10. An apparatus for producing card-shaped datacarriers including a plurality of processing stations, at least onepredetermined inspection criteria being required of said data carriers,said data carriers being capable of modification to meet said at leastone predetermined inspection criteria, said apparatus comprising: atleast one optical testing station configured to perform a test on saiddata carriers, said optical testing station positioned along a transportpath of said data carriers among said processing stations; at least onetransport device arranged to transport said data carriers along saidtransport path and through said optical testing station; and a controlunit arranged to control further processing of said data carriers alongsaid transport path upon receipt of a result from the test on said datacarriers at said optical testing station, said test determining whethersaid data carriers meet said at least one predetermined inspectioncriteria; wherein a printed image applied on said data carrier prior todelivery to said optical testing station is used as a reference todetermine a position of said data carrier at said optical testingstation.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10 further including atleast one reversing device configured to position said data carrier intoa predetermined position when said optical testing station detects saiddata carrier as failing to be positioned in said predetermined position.12. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said optical testingstation includes a UV light source and a detector sensitive toflorescent light.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein saidoptical testing station includes a camera.
 14. The apparatus accordingto claim 10 wherein said optical testing station includes two cameraseach positioned along a surface of said data carrier parallel to saidtransport path.
 15. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein one ofsaid processing stations is a milling machine.
 16. The apparatusaccording to claim 10 wherein one of said processing stations is animplanter.